James Gurney

This daily weblog by Dinotopia creator James Gurney is for illustrators, plein-air painters, sketchers, comic artists, animators, art students, and writers. You'll find practical studio tips, insights into the making of the Dinotopia books, and first-hand reports from art schools and museums.

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or by email:gurneyjourney (at) gmail.comSorry, I can't give personal art advice or portfolio reviews. If you can, it's best to ask art questions in the blog comments.

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All images and text are copyright 2015 James Gurney and/or their respective owners. Dinotopia is a registered trademark of James Gurney. For use of text or images in traditional print media or for any commercial licensing rights, please email me for permission.

However, you can quote images or text without asking permission on your educational or non-commercial blog, website, or Facebook page as long as you give me credit and provide a link back. Students and teachers can also quote images or text for their non-commercial school activity. It's also OK to do an artistic copy of my paintings as a study exercise without asking permission.

Saturday, May 6, 2017

Bernie Fuchs was a living legend when I entered the illustration world in the late 1970s, best known for the golden, glowing effect of his oil rub-out technique.

What I didn't appreciate until later was Fuch's versatility. He painted in various media and styles, always with arresting approaches to color, composition, and viewpoint.

Bernie Fuchs (1932-2009) got his start in the midwest and soon was hired by Detroit as one of the background artists for car ads. When he arrived in the New York illustration market, he rose quickly to the top and was the youngest to be honored in the Society of Illustrators Hall of Fame.

Dan Zimmer, publisher of Illustration magazine, continues his series of illustrator monographs with the first comprehensive book on Fuchs, spanning all the diverse artwork he produced over a long and successful career.

The 240-page book has more than 300 illustrations, and it begins with a 28-page bio by David Apatoff, author of the "Illustration Art" blog.

Most of the reproductions are from original paintings and drawings, along with quality reproductions of preliminary drawings, sketches, and vintage tearsheets.

Mr. Gurney writes of color constancy in his book on color. Mr. Fuchs' illustration of the streetcar on the right and the VW Bug on the left...well, I'll admit to experiencing the "sense" of VW red at night.